cold-email

Cold Email

Purpose

Write a first-touch email a busy stranger actually replies to: one problem, one relevance hook grounded in a real trigger, and one low-friction ask — not a pitch.

Inputs

• Who you're emailing (name, role, company)
• A real trigger or reason-to-reach-out-now (hire, funding, launch, post, mutual context)
• The one problem you solve for this persona
• A proof point you can cite (a similar customer, a result, a relevant pattern)

Method

1. One problem per email. Pick the single pain that matters most to this persona and write only about that. A second idea halves the reply rate — save it for the follow-up.
2. Open with a real relevance hook. The first line must prove you're writing to them, not a list — anchored to a trigger they'd recognise (a hire, a launch, a stage change, something they said publicly). No "Hope you're well" or "I came across your profile."
3. Brevity. Under 90 words, 5 sentences or fewer. It must be readable on a phone lock screen without scrolling. Every sentence earns its place or gets cut.
4. Single low-friction ask. Ask for interest or a reply, not a 30-minute meeting. "Worth a look?" / "Open to me sharing how?" beats "Do you have 30 mins Tuesday?" The ask is a yes/no, not a calendar negotiation.
5. No feature-dumping. Name the outcome, not the toolset. One proof point, stated as a customer + result, beats a feature list. Lead with their world, not your product.
6. Subject-line rules: 2–4 words, lowercase or sentence case, no caps, no emoji, no "Quick question," no "{Company} <> {YourCompany}." Make it look like an internal note from a colleague — reference their problem or trigger, never your product name.

Cold email skeleton:

Subject: <2–4 words, their problem/trigger>

Hi <name>,

<relevance hook tied to a real trigger — proves this isn't a blast>.

<the one problem this persona feels, in their language>.

<one proof point: similar customer + concrete result>.

<single low-friction yes/no ask>?

<first name>